Chapter 11: Halua Forest

[~February 2nd, 2193~]

Currently traveling twelve thousand meters in the night sky above the clouds, Morgan, Talia, Mark, Kayla, and Daniel could all be seen on board a Boeing C-17, heading towards their mission site. Seen sitting across from each other strapped to their seats, Mark, Kayla, Talia, and Daniel leaned towards each other to discuss and recap all they had on their target, Morgan a few seats away from them as he kept mostly to himself.

The others, meanwhile, were going over their plan, trying to prepare themselves as best they could as Daniel fell comfortably back into his role as leader, forming most of the strategies and making sure their equipment was in good condition.

"Okay, so here's what I'm thinking," Daniel said, pointing to a map spread out on the table. "We'll approach the target from the east to push it away from the Village, using the cover of the forest to keep ourselves hidden. Mark, you'll take the lead, use your ability to keep yourself hidden and scout ahead, I'll follow closely behind with Talia. Kayla and Morgan can cover us from the air."

Mark nodded, taking in the plan. "Sounds good to me," he said. "Let's make sure our communications are working and we're all on the same page."

"Right", Glancing over at Morgan, a hint of annoyance was apparent on Daniel's face, "Catch any of that big guy?".

"Every word, don't worry", still unconcerned with the situation, Morgan remained in thought, still going over his integration of Daniels DNA into his set of abilities.

Somewhat skeptical, Daniel shrugged it off and sat back in his seat.

"ETA Thirty Minutes"

Yelling from the front of the plane, the pilot zeroed in on their destination.

[~Halua Forest~]

In the dead of night along the countryside, the moon stood high as it illuminated the lush green habitat of tall trees and raised grass. Housing countless forms of life at various levels throughout the ecosystem, the forest continued to thrive.

Residing within the deeper parts of the rainforest, signs of a struggle became apparent as a glimpse of man wearing tactical equipment could be seen desperately traversing the terrain at high yet gradually waning speeds. Rushing throughout the tall grass and disrupting the peace of the Rainforest, this man appeared frantic whilst bursting through any plant life that obstructed his path, a red liquid seeping through an open wound on his leg, leaving a visible trail behind him as he attempted to flee from something in the trees, that no matter how hard he tried to escape, kept following him at a distance.

Rapidly closing in on the distressed man, the loud rustling of shaking leaves became increasingly audible as the assailant picked up speed, much to the man further distress. Drawing closer to the man from the tree line, the rustling of branches suddenly came to stop, the man gradually coming to a slow crawl as it noticed that the thing chasing him was no longer in the trees and he had lost too much blood during the chase.

Falling to his rear, the man slowly succumbed to his bleeding, attempting to catch his breath whilst remaining on high alert. Startled by a rustling of leaves to his right, the man quickly rose to his feet and attempted to run in the opposite direction.

Without warning, the silhouette of a creature ferociously lunged towards him from the direction he ran, colliding with an echoing "Thud" as it pinned the man on his back, tearing into his soft tissue with its massive claws, the creature wasted little time in consuming its screaming prey, the mans screams resonating through the forest. Sinking its long dagger-like fangs into the neck of the man, it held its prey in place with its massive arm as its powerful jaws separated the the still screaming mans head from his body, silencing his wails of agony.

After gorging itself on the carcass of the once lively man, the seemingly bipedal figure stood on its hind legs over the remaining lower half of its most recent prey, its roughly 2.5-meter tall guant frame covered in a thick blue leathery hide, its four lanky arms extending into sharp claws.

Raising its head to the sky, heat emanated from its body as its neck to chest area greatly loosened, followed by its lower jaw spontaneously splitting agape. Picking up the lower remains of the man, the creature unhinged its jaw and began sliding the man down its expanding gullet, quickly leaving no trace of it behind to be seen. With a deep growl from its nostrils, the creature took only a fleeting moment to finish digesting the corpse of the man it had just consumed.

The creature's thick blue hide became vaguely more visible as its padded feet stepped into the moonlight. The rest of its bluish colorations blending in with the dark of night whilst it hid in the shadows, its large frame bolstering excessive mushroom growth and sharp spines along the center of its wide back. Although its face carried some human features, its more major features resembled that of a predatory canine, the top of its head accommodating two sensory organs resembling that of antennae, adding to its efficiency and tracking capabilities, its yellow slit eyes resting on its face that was weaponized with sharp jagged teeth.

Briefly looking around, the creature seemed deep in thought before its senses altered it to another presence. Fixing their sights on the nearest tree, they crouched down and tensed the robust muscles in their legs, slightly caving the ground, they leaped a few dozen meters into the air, promptly carving through the air as they swiftly landed on a the nearest branch that could support their weight, looking down at the people that traversed the forest.

"Jona!? Can you here me!?"

Screaming out to his friend, a man wearing tactical gear creeped through the forest with four other men and a woman accompanying him.

"Jona!?" All calling out in unison, they remained on high alert, their weapons ready for anything unexpected.

Placing her finger on her earpiece, the woman listened for any further instructions, only to be shocked by what she was told.

"Commander, HQ has just notified me that Jonas life monitor went offline."

"What? When?" His face flush with anger, the commander composed himself.

"A few moments ago"

Quickly activating his earpiece, the commander contacted HQ. "Commander Castro here, What was Jonas last known location".

["The signal went out roughly three meters from your location"]

Feeling a chill up his spine, Commander Castro began frantically looking around the area, his rifle trained along the forest fauna as he signaled to his companions. "Circle formation".

"Whats wrong Commander?" Questioned one of his men as they also grew nervous.

"Jonas signal went out three meters from here, the creatures close."

Suddenly startling them, a rustling in the trees quickly caught their attention, the soldiers raising their weapons and aiming up. Following their actions, a deep growl echoed from the trees, filling them with more fear.

"Help me!"

Calling out from the trees, Jonas voice could be heard, causing the soldiers to momentarily lower their weapons in confusion. This proved to be a mistake. Jumping from the trees, a shadowy figure dropped down from the branches, landing in front of them with a thud.

The creature was massive, at least twice the height of a man, with a guant build and sharp claws. The soldiers hesitated, stunned by the sudden appearance of the monster after hearing their teammates voice. But their hesitation was short-lived. With a roar, the creature launched itself at the group, striking down the nearest soldier before they could even react, causing the rest of them to jump back in fear before firing their weapons at the creature.

One of the soldiers, the bulkier of the group stepped forward, finished preparing his heavy weaponry as he took aim at the creature, firing a rain of bullets at the creature, the bullets ricocheting off its thick hide as it barreled towards them with its jaws ready.

At the last moment, the soldier dived out of the way, rolling behind a tree for cover. Continuing its charge, the creature slammed into the tree, splintering the trunk and sending debris flying. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction and firing another burst, the soldier aimed for the eyes of the creature, causing it to stagger back, momentarily blinded in one eye.

Seeing the opportunity, the soldier advanced closer to the creature. The female soldier of the group, a sharpshooter, took aim with her rifle, trying to take out the creature's other eye. Firing her weapon, the shot echoed through the forest, but the creature didn't flinch, continuing to charge towards the sniper with its large claws outstretched.

Attempting to retreat, the female soldier tried to jump to side of the creature's attack.

"Amanda watch out!"

Hearing the voice of her Commander, a sharp pain assaulted Amanda's torso as the creature ran its claws through her, immediately sending her into shock. Swiftly removingg her head from her torso, the creature tossed her body to the side and curled into a ball as the other Solders assaulted it with a rain of bullets.

Completely guarded by its thick hide, the Luminescent mushroom like growths on the creatures back began to glow, nearly blinding the remaining soldiers as a wave of heat swiftly washed over them.

Upon the clearing of the flash of light that illuminated the forest for a few seconds, the soldiers Immediately fell to their knee's, badly burned and caughing up black blood as they promptly dropped dead, joining their team members in the afterlife.

With its assailants now dead, the creature began to feed on their corpses, replenishing its energy so that it could continue the hunt.

......

Approaching the drop off point, the rear door of the Boeing C-17 cracked open for the team to exit. Quickly donning their specialized gear, the group went over their plane one last time, making sure they were all on the same page before stepping close to the edge of the plane door.

"Okay, let's do this," Daniel said, giving everyone a nod of encouragement.

With a deep breath, Daniel was the first to jump, followed shortly after by Mark, Talia, and Kayla as all of them jumped out of the plane, the wind rushing past them as they rapidly descended from the sky. Expanding her psychokinetic effect and ensnaring the others, Kayla used her abilities to carry Daniel, Mark, and Talia, guiding them safely to the ground as they rapidly descended.

Morgan, meanwhile, was the last to exit the plane, his arms still crossed as he entered a deadfall. Descending closely behind the rest of his group, Morgan began to rapidly accelerate towards the ground, quickly breaking the sound barrier as he descended, a sonic boom echoing through the forest as he passed his companions.

Nearly colliding with the forest floor, Morgan spontaneously canceled his momentum, generating a powerful but brief gust of wind. Gently placing his boots on the soil, the rest of his team followed shortly after, their feet hitting the soft earth of the forest floor. They quickly regrouped, their eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger.

"Alright, let's move out,"